Vehicle.



W. B. GOODWIN.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED own. 1913.

1 1 7 l ,94 1 Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1- FIG.)

wlmassc' N l W. B. GOODWIN.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATIONFILED 020.22, 1913.

1,171,941. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

'2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITH 555133 N VBNTOR MMQ ATTOR v THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPl-l 50., WASHINGTON D c WILLIAM B. eoonwm, or COLUMBUS, OHIO.

VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Feb. 1 5, 1916.

Application filed December 22, 1913.. Serial No. 808,083.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, VILLIAM B. GooDwIN,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and resident of Columbus, county of Franklin, and State of Ohio, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle construction and particularly to the mounting of the vehicle body on the wheel carrying chassis.

An object of my invention is to produce a vehicle construction in which the body is mounted on a chassis or framework which is so mounted with reference to a separate wheel-carrying chassis located ateach end of the body-carrying chassis, that the shocks ordinarily sustained by the body portions of vehicles of this class are reduced to a minimum. J

A further object is to produce a vehicle in which the body is mountedbetween the wheels so that a uniformly wide. body may be obtained from its top to its bottom, which is or may be equal to the distance from outside to outside of the wheels;

These and other objects are attained in the construction described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanving drawings in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of a vehicle embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle illustrated in] 1. Fig. 3'is a front end elevation of the vehicle illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is-a plan view showing a somewhatdiiferentmanner of mounting the vehicle body on each'wheelcarrying chassis. Fig.- 5 is a detail of the driving connection between the engine shaft and the rear axle. iFiguG is an enlarged detail elevational View of a modified form of wheel mounting chassis and its pivotal connection'with the vehiclebody. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a shock absorbing device used'on the car embodying my invention. 7 i

. The construction comprises a primary or body-carrying chassis 8, to each end of which a secondary or wheel-carrying chassis 9 is secured. Each secondarv chassisis pivotally secured to the ends of the primary chassis by means of journal pins 10 and 11, which are rotatably mounted in bear ngs provided in the primary chassis, Mounted on hese otally mounted on pins 21 and 22.

' differential and its casing.

journal pins between each secondary chassis and the primary chassis are springs 12 and 13, while'between heads ll and 15 formed on theinwardly projecting ends of the pins,

and the inner faces of the vertically extend. ring portions 8?, 8 .of the primary chassis,

are located springs 16 and 17 y Each secondary chassis consists of a bolf ster 18 which bears one ofthe journal pins 10 and 11 between its ends, while ateach end: thereof, spring arms 19 and 20 are piv- These pins are located in forked brackets 23 and" 24 extending from the bolster. A short portion 19 20, of each respective spring arm 19 and 20, extends beyond the pivotal point thereof and into the space between the branches of the forked brackets to form a. movable bearing for one end of a shock absorbing spring 25 located in a hollow cylindrical support 26, secured to the underside of each of the brackets while thetop surface of each portion 19*, and 20 bears a1 on a short recoil spring 27 located in a hollow cylindrical support 28 secured to theuupper surface of each bracket. The outer or aXlecarryingend of each f spring arm may be formed into aspiral spring '29 which is secured to its respective axle at a point near theiproper end thereof.

Mud guards 30, 31 are mounted on each secondarychassls, the front chassis carrying the usual steering gear, and the rear chassis carrying the live axle, its casing, and the l The body 32=of the vehicle is mounted on' theprimarychassis and because of the placing of thefront and rear wheels inlthe fore and aft position with relation to the vehicle bodyit-may be constructed in w dth equal to the distance from outside to outside of the wheels." By. reason; of the locatlon of I the wheels, a uniformly wide body construction is permitted, from the top to the floor.

It will be seen by referring to Figs. 1 and 2, that 1 preferably construct the mainbody of my vehicle without doors andin order to gain an entrance to its interior I provide a' wide hood over the engine, in which I place doors 33, 34. Since the small space occupied by theengine is in the center oflthe hood, ample space is left on either side thereof to form entrance ways from the doors to the interior of the body proper. In provid- I i11g a bOQ Y' f thisconstril t ll, room s D tained not only for the storage of packages, but also for the accommodation of at least three passengers abreast without any crowding on the seat, and with no cramping-of the floor space for the feet of the passengers.

The steering of the vehicle is accomplished in muchv the same manner 1s OlCllIlil'lly. done 1n self propelled vehicles.

In traveling along the road, first'the front wheels of the vehicle will encounter inequalities in the road surface and the shock and 20; but: the vertical component. ofi'the force of the shock is absorbedby the coil springs mounted vertically in the cyl-' inders 26, when the portions 195* 20 ofthe spring arms 191and20 are moved by the rocking of the spring arms uponftheir pivot pins 21 and22. The horizontalscomponent of the force of the shock isabsorbed,however,1through the coil spring l2ilocated on the chassis journal pin 10, when the front chassis-is forced backwardly; Should the shock transmitted to the frontichassis have been great enough, the entire body and its mounting chassis 8 will be forced backwardly and the excess of theshock willzbe absorbed by the spring 13 onthe: journal pin 11 of the rear chassis. The recoil of springs 12 and 13 will be absorbed by springsidand 17 while the recoil of'springs 1 25 will be absorbed bysprings'27. The construction'ofspiral spring 29 will enable it'to absorb its own recoil.

After the wheels of the frontchas sis have passed over the obstruction, the wheels of the rear chassis encounter it.. Theishock now transmitted to the rear chassis,- extends in the same direction as that transmitted'to the front chassis', except that inabsorbing the horizontal component/of the shock the chassis is pulled in a direction away from the body instead of being pushedtoward it as in the-former case. The springs 29,25 and 27 willfoperatein the samemannerand perform the samefunctions asthecorresponct 'ingsprings of the front chassis. but instead cernech. because I. preferably so 51088136113118 journal pinslOand 11', that a greater proportion of the weight iof the body, when filled with passengers, will be below the.;. journal pins, thuscreating in effect, a pendulum-lilre suspension thereof.

Should the'distribution of weight on the primary or body carrying chassis. be. such that the greater part of the weight'comesat or above the points". of suspension, I offset. the journal pins with relation to each other as shown in Figrz, so that'they lielonoppo= sitesides of a linexlrawnsthrough the center of the vehicle semis-0mm :rear'. This'rofl setting of.- 13118;.j0111ntt15 pins permitsoftthe movement of each secondary chassisupon itsx= respectiveajournalspin, but'iwillv not-permit the-body to swingzasvin'the:constructionrdisclosed in Fig. 2.

Owing: to: the relative.- movements-. off the priinaryand: each secondary'chassis; a idflllble: 8 5 universal, telescoping: shaft-drive, as shown in Fig. 5,-will be necessary-althoug EthGTCflI' maybe readily drivenuby chain .OIfOthQIWiSB.

In" :Fig; 6 i [have shown aimodifiedi-form- Ofi secondarycliassisx It. will be seenrthat; .90* an obstructionin the road Ewill=causeithe coil springs .35, 36 toi'perform. allx thefu'nce tions'oftheaspiingss25 27', 12,513, 16-and 17, when"; the wheel, spring; arm+37 and 1 its 1nountinglinlrs 3:8,a 39,- swing illPWfLI'dlYTflHdaBf) backwardly in response to: the initialziblowx and .recoil'givemto the wheels 011i eithensecondary'chassissby 'theobstnuction. r Having thus dscribedmyiinventionwwihat I claim is':::-- 1

1. A vehicle: construction; comprisingra primary thassi's; secondary chassis located beyond the limits. of the: primary chassis, and pivots. connecting z-the primary and; sec- 1 ondary chassis; said secondary chassis being; 10 1 independent of :one another;

2:. A :vehicle comprising aprimary chassis,

and a secondary chassis located 'ateachtendq and beyond: the :limits of' the primary chassis and havingrhorizontai pivots attached to the}; 1 primary chassis, each secondary chassisbeiiig independent. of the. other. secondaryohassis- V A vehicle comprisinga primarychassis and a secondary chassis yieldinglyqseouned to eaoh end' of theprimarychassisr'beyondz the: limitswthereof, said secondarywchiassis being; independent of one another.

4; Ina'vehicle', the combinationof a body' chassis; a steering Wheel "chassis; pivotally and: yieldingly secured a to the! front of? the body chassis, ,andr ja drivingiw' heel chassis pivotally and yieldingly secured to therrear of'athe *body chassi s, said steering; wheehchas sis and: said 'drivingiwheeh chassis beingrlb catedbeyondthelimitsof said bodyclrassis. 12

5. In a: vehicle theicombinati'on of. az pr-imary" chassis; a secondary chassis secured": to the front of the primary chassiaazsecondary chassis a secured: to? the rear. "of" the: primary chassis roadi wheelsajnountedpon both; the

front and the rear secondary chassis, means for yieldingly supporting the wheels to take up vertical movement thereof and means for permitting yielding horizontal movement of each secondary chassis with relation to the primary chassis.

6. A vehicle comprising a primary chassis, a secondary chassis pivotally attached to and beyond each end of the primary chassis, and bearing road wheels, a source of power mounted on the primary chassis and means adapted to compensate for the relative movement of the primary chassis and the secondary chassis, for communicating driving power from the source of power to the road wheels.

7 Avehicle comprising a primary chassis, and a secondary chassis pivotally attached to each end of the primary chassis, the pivotal points being offset with relation to the center line of the vehicle.

8. Avehicle comprising a primary chassis, a secondary chassis pivotally attached to each end of the primary chassis, each secondary chassis comprising a bolster, pivots attached to the bolster and adapted to engage the primary chassis and wheel carrying spring arms pivotally attached to the bolster, said arms being yieldingly mounted on the bolster.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of December, 1913.

WILLIAM B. GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

WALTER F. MURRAY, W. THORNTON BOGERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of'Patents, Washington, D. C. 

